Devil's Whisper Chapter 133: A Game of Death and Riddles

Kate laid out the findings from her preliminary investigation with a calm but focused demeanor. Every detail mattered, and she knew Commissioner Bob would want answers.

"And what about fingerprints?" Commissioner Bob asked, his deep voice carrying a tone of skepticism.

"I'm certain there won't be any," Kate responded with conviction. "Just like every other message we’ve received from the killer. He’s meticulous. He wouldn’t leave behind something as incriminating as his own fingerprints."

"You still need to check for them," Commissioner Bob insisted, his sharp gaze unwavering. He had been in law enforcement long enough to know that assuming anything could be a fatal mistake.

"Understood, sir," Jason acknowledged immediately. He wasn’t about to argue with the commissioner, especially when he knew the man was right.

"Give me the details of the transaction... Maybe we can uncover a clue," Jason said, shifting the focus back to Kate.

"I’m sending it to you now," she replied, swiftly forwarding the online transaction details to Jason’s phone. It was their best lead yet, the only breadcrumb they had that could possibly lead them to the killer.

Commissioner Bob folded his arms and leaned forward slightly. "Kate, I still don’t understand why the killer has been targeting you specifically. From the very beginning, he’s chosen to communicate with you. And now, he’s gone as far as paying you a visit. Why?"

Jason had been wondering the same thing. It didn’t sit right with him that Kate had become the killer’s point of contact. It was too deliberate to be a coincidence.

"I don’t know," Kate admitted, shaking her head. "Once we catch him, you can ask him yourself."

Bob exhaled sharply, clearly unsatisfied with that answer. "There has to be a link connecting you to him. Without reason, he wouldn’t be reaching out to you specifically. He could have sent these messages to the police department, a journalist, or even a family member of one of his victims. But he chose you."

Kate sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I’ve thought about that countless times, Commissioner. I swear, I’ve tried to find a connection. But there’s nothing. No link. No reason why he’d single me out. I’m just as baffled as you are."

Bob wasn’t convinced, but he let it go for the moment. "Fine. Let’s set that aside for now. Tell me, what did you gather from these Rubaiyat quatrains?"

Kate hesitated. She looked at Jason first, then back at the commissioner. For the first time since this case began, she wasn’t sure how to interpret the killer’s message.

"I’ve read these quatrains over and over again," she murmured. "But for the first time... I don’t understand what he’s trying to say to me."

Jason’s brow furrowed. "The last quatrain from the note we found on Sasha Paula’s bed is the same as the last quatrain in this note."

"Yes, I noticed that too," Kate acknowledged, her mind racing to piece together what it meant.

"What is he trying to convey through these quatrains?" Jason pondered aloud, rereading the verses, searching for a hidden meaning.

Kate inhaled deeply, dread creeping up her spine. "One thing is certain—he’s planning something, and it’s not good. He wants to harm me in some way… either he’s coming after me directly, or he has some other sinister plan in mind."

Jason didn’t look convinced. "No. He isn’t coming after you. I think he’s playing a different game. He’s plotting something else."

Kate stared at him. "Then what is he planning?"

Jason’s face hardened as he flipped through the photos again, glancing back at the quatrains. His gut twisted as the realization hit him.

"He’s going to kill someone else. He’s revealing his intentions through these verses,"

Kate’s stomach turned. "Who? Who is he going to kill?"

Jason set the photos down carefully. "His madness from yesterday—Sasha Paula’s death—was just the beginning. He’s preparing for what he considers a success tomorrow. But the thing is… there’s no mention of today. That means he’s planning to strike again before the day is over."

Kate’s blood ran cold. "You think he’s going to kill someone today?"

Jason nodded slowly. "Yes. And we need to stop him before it happens."

Commissioner Bob didn’t waste another second. "Jason, trace the individual behind the courier transaction. We need to find out who paid for that package."

"Already on it," Jason confirmed, typing rapidly on his phone.

Bob turned to Kate. "We also need information on the individual who previously volunteered under the Public Health Program. The one who sent those threatening emails to Sasha Paula and Ryder. I have connections in the health department—I’ll use them to track him down."

Jason reached into a file folder and handed Bob a printed document. "Here’s the registration number for that guy. PHP-7234. Once we locate him, we’ll have his identity and current whereabouts in Adelaide."

Bob took the document and nodded. "I’ll take care of it."

As he moved toward the door, he glanced at Kate one last time. "Kate, I need you to think again about the connection between you and the killer. It doesn’t sit right with me that he chose you randomly. There’s got to be something linking you two."

Kate’s shoulders tensed as she watched him leave. She had already spent hours, days, weeks even, trying to figure out why the killer had chosen her. And now Bob was telling her to do it all over again. But maybe he was right. Maybe she had missed something.

Once the commissioner was gone, Jason turned to her. "Kate, listen. The killer isn’t after you. At least, not directly. But he’s playing with us. I think he’s chosen his next victim, and he wants to see if we can stop him."

Kate’s brows drew together. "But who could it be?"

Jason’s jaw tightened. "It could be anyone. We know too many people connected to this case. We need to figure it out before it’s too late."

Kate exhaled, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on her. "We may never know who the target is until it’s too late," she admitted. "But we do have two major leads—two real chances to find this monster. We can’t waste time guessing. We need to follow the clues and catch him before he strikes again."

Jason nodded. "Agreed. I’ll handle tracing the transaction. You investigate the man behind those emails."